Home > Hugh Guthrie

Guthrie was first elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal in 1900 from the riding of Wellington South. He sat in Wilfrid Laurier's caucus for 17 years but crossed the floor to join the Unionist government of Robert Borden as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917. The former Liberal backbencher became a leading light in his new party serving as Solicitor GeneralThe Solicitor General is a cabinet position in several countries, dealing with legal affairs. In the United States the Solicitor General is that person who represents or advises a government when it is party to a suit, generally in front of its supreme co under Borden. With the end of warWorld War I (also known as the First World War , the Great War the War of the Nations and the "War to End All Wars") was a world conflict occurring from 1914 to 1918. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers, or involved so many in the field of most Liberal-UnionistLiberal-Unionists were supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada who, as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917 rejected Sir Wilfrid Laurier's leadership and supported the coalition Unionist government of Sir Robert Borden. Much of the Ontario Liberas either rejoined the Liberal Party or joined the new Progressive PartyThe Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manit but Guthrie stayed with the ConservativesThe name Conservative Party of Canada has been used twice in Canadian history. For the current party founded 2003 please see the article Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative Party has been gone under a variety of names over the years. Initially becoming Minister of Defence and running for relection as a Conservative in the 1921 election after which he joined the Tories on the Opposition benches.

As a result of the 1926Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 See also 1926 in aviation 1926 in film 1926 in literature 1926 in mu King-Byng Affair Meighen's Conservatives formed a government in which Guthrie served as Minister of Justice and Minister of National Defence but this second stint in Cabinet ended with the defeat of the Meighen government in that fall's election. Meighen lost his seat and Guthrie served as acting Leader of the Opposition and interim leader of the Conservative Party for a full year until the party held a leadership convention where R.B. Bennett defeated Guthrie. John George Diefenbaker was a delegate to that convention and he writes in his memoirs that Guthrie's candidacy was hurt when the former Liberal absent-mindedly declared in his speech to delegates that the Tory meeting was the "greatest Liberal convention in history".

Bennett led the Tories to victory in the 1930 Canadian election and Guthrie was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General. In 1933 he introduced legislation making it illegal to carry a concealed weapon without authorization. In 1935 he clashed with opposition MP Agnes Macphail who demanded an inquiry into inhumane conditions in Canada's prisons such as the whipping of prisoners.

As the Great Depression worsened and millions were unemployed, the government became increasingly concerned about political instability and the growth of radical movements. Guthrie's department was responsible for the persecution of the Communist Party of Canada and the arrest and incarceration of Communists, including leader Tim Buck for sedition.

In 1933, when Tim Buck was shot at by soldiers in an apparent assassination attempt while he was in his cell during a prison riot . Guthrie was forced to admit that the attack was deliberate, but claimed the intent was only to frighten him. However, the public outcry at this incident lead to Buck being released.

In 1935, unemployed workers in British Columbia's deserted the remote relief camps established by the Bennett government and began the On to Ottawa Trek in which thousands of unemployed workers hopped on freight trains heading east intending to converge in Ottawa and press their demands on the government. Bennett's cabinet saw this as an insurrectionary movement and panicked. In the House of Commons Guthrie charged that the protesters "were a distinct menace to the peace, order and good government of Canada."

As the protesters entered Saskatchewan Guthrie had the Trek banned, over the objections of Saskatchewan Premier James G. Gardiner. He and Bennett ordered the RCMP to use tear gas and revolvers to break up the Trek when it entered Regina. The city was but under siege with hundreds of police officers moved in blocking all exits from the city. On July 1, 1935 the police attacked a meeting attended by 3,000 people resulting in one death, dozens of injuries and national outrage.

Guthrie, now 69, did not run in the 1935 election that routed Bennett's government preferring to retire from politics. He died four years later.